Match-splint-conveying apparatus.



B. GuVAUGHAm MATCH SPLINT GONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1913.

Patented A r. 14, 19 14.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B G. VAUGHAN. MATCH SILINT CONVEYING APPARATUS.

v APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1913. l,@3,366.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

B. G; VAUGHAN. MATCH SPLINT CONVEYING AlPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1913. 1,,O93,366, Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' v UNITED STATES PATENT onrrcn.

nnnnlmnenoncn vauenzan, or .Iomnr, ILLINOIS, nssrenon 1'0 narronnr.

comm, or JQLIEI', Innmoasa conroaarlon or ILLINOIS.

MATCH mrcn-srLm'r-coiwnrme APPARATUS.

' Specification or Letters Patent.

Application filed m 19,- ms Serial No. 179,957.

racemes Apr. 14, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bnnnano G. VAUGHAN, a citizen of the United States", residing at Joliet, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Match-Splint- Gonveying Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and. exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same. 5

This invention relates-to an apparatus for conveying match-splints from a source of supply to individual machines which act on the splints, as, for example, machines that arrange the splints in an orderly manner preparatory-to their introduction into the hoppers of the machines that apply the tips which they are conveyed to the, individual machines.

Otherobjects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out. Figure 1 of the drawings is a. side eleva tional view of a match-splint-conveying apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention- Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion oi the apparatus showing the screen that distributes the splints over the troughs which deliver the splints to the conduits through which the splints are conveyed to the individual machines; Fig, 3 is a vertical sectional view takenon the hue 3-3 oi Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line '55 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of match:splints to machines that remove dust and dlrt from the splints and arrange the splints in an orderly manner preparatory to their introductlon into the hoppers of the dipping machines that apply the tips to the splints. The distributing device A of the apparatusherem shown consists of a horizontally disposed rotatable screen journaled -in uprights 3 and provided at one end with a gear 4 that meshes with a pinion 5 which is connected to a pulley 6 over which a drive-belt 7 passes. The match-splints are fed into the opposite end of the screen A, either manually or by some suitable mechanical means, through a chute 8 that pro ects through an opening in the end of the screen, as shown in Fig. 4. The inclined troughs 1 may be of any preferredcross sectionalshape, those herein shown being substantially semi-circular-shaped, as shown in Fig. 4, and the lower ends of said troughs are spaced away slightly from the lower ends of the conduits 2, as shown in Figs. 1 and'3, so as to permit the splints to pass from the troughs 1 onto the conveyer 9 under certain conditions, namely, when the suction is out 01f in the conduits 2, as hereindescribed, -The conveyer 9 of the ap-- paratus. herein shown consists of an endless belt, as shown in Fig. 5, arranged below the lower ends of the troughs 1 and the conduits 2 and extending transversely of same, said belt being mounted on pulleys '10, one of which is connected to a countershaft 11- provided with a pulley 12 that is driven by a belt 13 which passes around a pulley 14 connected to the shaft 15 of the ever the screen A is rotating. Vertically disposedretaining walls 16 extend longitudinally of the conveyor 9 at each side of same, as shown inFig. 1, so as to prevent the splints from falling off the conveyor, and a belt-tightening device such, for example, as a pulley 17' mounted on a pivotal arm 18, is provided for keeping, the top side of the oonveyer 9 taut.

Each of the conduits 2 leads to a vacuum chamber 20 from which the air is exhausted by means of a fan 21, as shown in Fig. 1,

drum A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so as to V insure movement of the conveyer 9 when said vacuum chamber 20 being so designed that the match-splints that are suckedinto same through the conduit 2 will drop through the discharge opening at thelower end of said chamber into a chute 22 that leads-to the machine, not shown, in which the splints are to be operated on. Each of the conduits 2is provided with a valve 2*, and whenever the operator in charge of the machine to which the splints are beingsupplied, desires to out off the supply of splints he closes the valve 2? so as to cut ofl the suction in the conduit 2. Thereafter, the splints that travel down the inclined trough 1 that cotiperates with that particular conduit 2, will drop from the lower end of said trough onto the conveyer 9 and be carried by said conveyer into a blast pipe 23 which leads up wardly and discharges into the chute 8 at one end of the screen A, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4:, a blast being created in the pipe 23 by means of ablower 24, shown in Fig. 1. The blast pipe 23 is enlarged at the point where the splints are discharged'iuto same from the conveyer 9, as shown in Fig. 6, and an inclined deflector 25 is arranged in the enlarged portion of said blast pipe so as to prevent the air which is forced through said pipe from escaping through the splint-receiving opening 26 in the upper side of said blast pipe, said deflector 25 being so arranged that the cross sectional area of the blast pipe 23 is approximately the same at the point where the splints enter same as at the other portions of said ipe. I also prefer to arrange a guard 27 in the pipe 23 at the opposite side of the splint-receiving opening 26, said guard 27 being inclined in an opposite'direction to the deflector 25, as shown in Fig. 6. The splints that fall downwardly onto the conveyer 9 from the supply troughs 1, are carried transversely of the ap paratus and discharged into the blast pipe 23 through which they are forced in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 back into the receiving chute 8 of the screen A. Consequently, the apparatus will not become clogged or the floor in the vicinity of the apparatus will not be strewn with matchsplintswhenever one or all of theconduits 2 are closed owing to the fact that the splints which are discharged from the trough 1 that cooperates with the closed conduit 2, are carried by the conveyer 9 and the blast pipe 23 back into the distributing screen A. As soon as the conduit 2 that has been closed is opened the splints whichtravel down the 'will be sucked u described enables match-splints to be conveyed rapidly and economically from one part of the factory to a remote part of the factory in which are located machines that perform some operation 011 the splints; any desired number of machines can be supplied with match-splints from one point of supply; the supply of splints to the individual machines can be cut ofi or resumed at the will of theoperators in charge of said machlnes; and when the supply of splints to one or more ofthe individual machines is cut" be understood that my improved apparatus may be used for various other purposes, and while I have herein illustrated and described one specific embodiment of my invention I do not wish it to be understood that the invention is limited to an apparatus of the exact construction herein shown, for my broad idea consists in a match-splint-conveying apparatus rovided with suction conduits that lead to individual machines to which the splints are to be supplied, distributing means for supplying splints to thereceivingends of said conduits, and means for causing the splints that are intended for a particular suction conduit to circulate through said distributing means when said particular conduit is closed or rendered inoperative, the apparatus being so designed that one or all of the suction conduits can be cut off or closed at the will of the operators in charge of the machines to which the splints are being supplied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A match-splint-conveying apparatus comprising. pneumatic conduits that lead from a common or central point to individual machines to which splints are to be supplied, a distributing means for supplying splints to said conduits, individual means for rendering each of said conduits inop erative, and meanswhereby the closing or rendering inoperative of one or more of said conduits will cause the splints intended for same to be conveyed back to said distributing means.

. 2. A match-sph'nt-conveying apparatus comprising conduits that lead from a common point to individual. machines to which match-splints are to be supplied, a continuously operating delivering means for supplying splints to'said conduits,

a means cooperating witheach of said conduits for cutting ofi the flow of splints through same, and means comprising a mechanically-operated conveyer and a blast pipe the splints that are intended for a particular conduit to be conveyed back to said delivering means when said conduit is closed or rendered inoperative.

3. A match-splint-conveying apparatus comprising a plurality of conduits, each of which cooperates with an individual machine to which match-splints are to be supplied, means for creating a suction in said conduits so as to draw splints through same, means cooperating with each conduit for cutting off the suction in same, a delivering means common to all of said conduits for supplying match-splints to same, and means for conveying back to said delivering means the splints that are intended for a conduit which has been rendered inoperative.

4, In a match-splint-conveying apparatus, a plurality of suction conduits that lead from a central or common point to machines to which splints are to be supplied, means for rendering said conduits inoperative individually, a match-splint-supplying means arranged in proximity to the receiving ends of said conduits for holding matoh-splints that are adapted to be sucked into said conduits, and a conveying means for receiving splints from said supplying means when one or more of said conduits are rendered inoperative.

5. In a match-splint-conveying apparatus, a plurality of suction conduits that lead from a central or common point to machines to which splints are to be supplied, means for rendering said conduits inoperative individually, a match-splint-supplying means arranged in proximity to the receiving ends of said conduits for holding match-splints that are adapted to be sucked into said conduits, and a conveyin means for receiving splints from said supp ying means when one or more of said conduits are rendered inoperative, said conveying means being so designed that the sphnts received by same are conducted back to said supplying means.

6; In a match-splint-conveying apparatus, a plurality of suction conduits that lead from a central or common point to machines to which splints are to be supplied, means for rendering said conduits inoperative indifor causing this 14th day of July 1913.

vidually, match-splint-supplying means arranged in proximity to the receiving ends of said conduits for holding match-splints that are adapted to be sucked into said conduits, a conveyer onto which splints pass from said supplying means when one or more of said conduits are rendered inoperative, and

.means for carrying the splints received by said conveyer back to said supplying means.

In a match-splint-conveying apparatus, an inclined supporting means for receiving match-splints from a source of supply, suction conduits having their receiving ends terminating in proximity to said supporting means, means'coiiperating with each conduit for cutting off the suction in. same, a conveyer arranged at the lower end of said supporting means for receiving splints that are not sucked into said conduits, and pneumatic means for returning the splints received by said conveyer back to the source of supply.

8. In a match-splint-conveying apparatus, an inclined supporting means for holding match-splints, suction conduits having their receiving ends terminating in proximity to said supporting means, a conveyer arranged at the lower end of'said supporting means, means cooperating with each conduit for cutting ofi the suction in same, a distributing device for distributing match-splints over said inclined supporting means, and means for conducting the splints from said conveyer back to said distributing device.

9. A match splint conveying apparatus comprising a plurality of conduits which are open at one end, a vacuum chamber cooperating with each of said conduits for creating a suction in same, a plurality of inclined troughs terminating opposite the open ends of said conduits, means for distributing match-splints over said troughs, means 'in each of said conduits for cutting off the suction in same, and means cooperating with each of said conduits for receiving and conveying back to said distributing means the splints that are discharged from those troughs whose cooperating conduits are closed or inoperative. a

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses,

BERNARD GEORGE VAUGHAN.

Witnesses:

HENRY Lnsnn, LE0 MICHAEL HERKERT. 

